Comparison

Blur vs Blear

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Blur

Transform any photo into a soft, dreamy wallpaper with adjustable blur, color saturation, and tints. Preview your creation under the lock screen clock before saving in high resolution. Designed for all iOS devices with privacy in mind.

Highlights
  • Create soft, dreamy wallpapers
  • Adjust blur and saturation
  • Apply color tints
  • Preview under lock screen clock
  • Save in high resolution
  • Designed for iPhone and iPad
Features
Read full description

Blur turns any photo into a soft, dreamy wallpaper for your Lock Screen and Home Screen. Pick a photo, take one, or start with one of the wallpapers that come with the app. Turn the dial to blur it just right, make the colors glow or fade them out, and wash it in a tint. Check how it looks under the clock, then save it to Photos or share it. SIMPLE CONTROLS • One small dial for blur and saturation, so the picture stays in view. • A big, liquid readout shows the value while you turn the dial. • Tints in white, pink, yellow, blue and green, the iOS system colors. • Tap a control again to put it back where it started. SEE IT BEFORE YOU SAVE • Preview your wallpaper under the Lock Screen clock. • Wallpapers are saved in high resolution, ready to set in Settings. MADE FOR EVERY SCREEN • iPhone, iPad and iPhone Duo. • On iPad and the unfolded iPhone Duo, the dial stands at the side, out of the way. • Unfold your iPhone Duo and the picture comes into focus for a moment. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Your photos are blurred on your device and never leave it. • Saving only asks to add photos; Blur never sees your library. • No accounts, no ads, no tracking.

About

Blear

Create unique blurry wallpapers from your own photos or pre-loaded images. Easily adjust blurriness and crop to personalize your device's home and lock screens. Share your creations directly from the app.

Highlights
  • Transform photos into blurry wallpapers
  • Adjust crop and blurriness
  • Use pre-loaded images
  • Action Extension for quick editing
  • Save and set as wallpaper
Read full description

Transform your photos into stunning blurry wallpapers. Make your Home/Lock screen shine! Drag the image horizontally to change the crop. You get the best result with bright colorful photos, like a handful of jellybeans or unicorns. The app comes bundled with some beautiful photos to get you started. Just shake to get another one. When you have swiped your preferred blurriness, tap the save button on the right. In the Photos app, go to the image you just saved, tap the action button, and choose “Use as Wallpaper”. The app also comes with an Action Extension. So instead of opening the app, you can start by finding a photo in the Photos app, tap the action button, and then choose “Make Blurry Wallpaper”. Blear is open source: https://github.com/sindresorhus/blear

Screenshots

Blur4 screens
Blear1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Blear at 4.8 against Blur's 3.5. Blear also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 22 months) and review sentiment (87% vs 57%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Blear holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Blear has 77 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Blur's written reviews are positive against 87% of Blear's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Blur ships an update every 22 months, Blear every 3 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Blur versus Blear: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBlurBlear
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (6 ratings)4.8 (77 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews86.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings677 — better
Update frequencyEvery 22 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS27.026.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTaphive GmbHSindre Sorhus

Customer experience

Blur

All ratings6 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral50.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive57.1%
Neutral35.7%
Negative7.1%

Blear

All ratings77 ratings
Positive96.1%
Neutral1.3%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive86.7%
Neutral3.3%
Negative10.0%

In-app purchases

None

Blur

No in-app purchases

None

Blear

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Blur free?
Blur is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Blear free?
Blear is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Blur or Blear?
Blear is rated higher. Blur averages 3.5 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Blear averages 4.8 from 77 ratings.
Do Blur or Blear have ads?
Neither Blur nor Blear shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Blur or Blear?
Blur ships an update every 22 months, and Blear every 3 months. Most recently, Blur was updated on November 1, 2026 and Blear on November 1, 2026.

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